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Luís Lopes' Humanization 4tet - Live in Madison

John Ephland, DownBeat

The portuguese electric guitarist and blazing tenorist Rodrigo Amado, steady bassist Aaron González and splashy Stefan González on drums have emerged from Wisconsin with this new set. Recorded in 2011 at Audio for the Arts, the CD is a rollicking six-song set (five originals plus a jumpy, prodding jam on Arthur Blythe's "Bush Baby"). Lopes' guitar can be funky with lots of wah-wah, chords and single notes, but his solo voice here is mostly absent. The aptly titled, dense "Jungle Gymnastics" is a free-jazz free-for-all. Amado's beefy horn drives the album, charging with steady, solemn advances on "Long March For Frida Kahlo." The slippery rock cadences of "Two Girls" become a center for pritely polyphonic careening.